Oops: That’s Not How X-Ray Machines Work

Just wondering how you figured out she was Taiwanese instead of just "Chinese"? Was she giving her FB profile name to the TSA Agent so you checked her credentials yourself? ;-)

Once I forgot my passport for a flight connecting to the Caribbean, so I had to drive home. Let's just say, "It happens." Another time (1985) in Germany, a soldier ahead of me only had a military ID for passport control. Some forms of ID's weren't going to cut it.

@Jesse: The fact remains that in the <i>United States of America</i> it has been shown time and time again that it is not necessary to present government-issued ID to travel domestically. And aside from allowing people who don't have any forms of ID on them (be prepared, then, to be interrogated for information that will be cross-checked), the TSA has accepted Costco cards, credit cards, student IDs, work badges, and other documents that in no way could ever be considered official as sufficient for the purposes of identification. And it's possible because we (presumably you included, when/if you move back to the States) live in a country where freedom of movement is considered to be a fundamental right (see <i>United States v. Wheeler</i>). From the original post, we know the following: 1. Girl is at the TSA checkpoint. 2. Girl presents Facebook profile as ID. What we can infer from the original post: 1. The attempt to use the profile as ID was rejected. 2. The flight she was planning to take was very late. What we do not know and cannot infer from the post: 1. The nationality of the girl. 2. The mental state of the girl. 3. The age of the girl. 4. <i>Why</i> the girl would choose to present her Facebook profile. What if she rarely flies? What if was out of desperation rather than stupidity? You've left your ID home/somewhere and there's no way you'll be able to get/find it before you miss your flight. What do you do? It's already pretty late, and your flight is the last one to Chicago; if you miss it, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Can you wait until tomorrow? Can you afford the change fee that the airline will ask for? Where will you stay for the night? The stern man wants something with your photo and name on it. What do you have that has both? Well... But no, the assumption made by many (if not most) is that the girl is stupid. <i>Of course</i> that's gotta be it. Personally, I would never attempt to use Facebook to make it past the checkpoint. But I would also never try to get past the checkpoint with a Costco card. And the fact of the matter is, it worked for Mr. Klein.

@ Steven L He mentioned only "Taiwanese," so I went off that information. And I am very well aware of the necessity of documents in a foreign country, as I am an American who lives and works in the Russian Federation. I would never dream of going to an airport, even for domestic travel, without my passport, and would never go to a train station or bus station here for inter-city travel without at least my Russian identification card. The fact remains, that she was extremely stupid to try to use Facebook as ID at an airport. No arguing that she severely lacked common sense in the situation. It's absurd.

@Joe P and Leo: ...You guys don't <i>really</i> believe the TSA doesn't do racial profiling, do you? You're telling me you folks seriously have never even heard of SPOT (which incidentally isn't just about terrorism)? Hilarious... then again, maybe not if you're white. Not a surprise that you don't have to worry about things like that. @Jesse: If the girl was Taiwanese as in "not an American citizen" and she didn't have her passport, then the issue wouldn't be "Girl tries Facebook profile on TSA agent" but rather <i>"How the hell did she get into the country in the first place?"</i> If she lost it, then she could get a replacement travel document from the consulate in Seattle. In fact, just like when you lose an American passport, you're supposed to get a replacement as soon as possible. There's plenty of Taiwanese-Americans in Seattle, and Taiwanese-Canadians in Vancouver for that matter. Maybe <b>you</b> should use some of that common sense yourself. To all three of you: in the original post, Ben identifies the girl simply as "girl". Not Taiwanese girl, just plain old "girl". Maybe you lot should be asking him why he felt the need to add that this time around. After all, there's no need to turn it into a racial issue, right?